Expanding gases are everywhere, from the kitchen to the cosmos. You've tasted their pleasures every time you've eaten a slice of bread, bitten into a cookie, or sipped a glass of soda. In this chemistry science fair project, you'll capture a gas in a stretchy container you're probably pretty familiar with—a balloon. This will allow you to observe the gas expansion and contraction as the temperature changes.
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Chem_p077

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Time Required

Very Short (≤ 1 day)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

Readily available

Cost

Very Low (under $20)

Safety

People with a latex allergy should not do this project. Use caution, as latex balloons are the leading choking hazard for children under 6.

Do you think you could build a car powered by nothing but air? A balloon-powered car is pushed forward by air escaping from a balloon, and it is fun and easy to build with materials you already have around your house. Can you imagine how you would want your own balloon-powered car to look? Can you design a car that will travel as far as possible? Get ready to grab some simple supplies to bring your idea to life!
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Phys_p099

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Time Required

Short (2-5 days)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

Readily available

Cost

Very Low (under $20)

Safety

Cutting some materials, like plastic bottles, can create sharp edges. Young children should have supervision when using scissors or hobby knives.

Balloons are a festive addition to many celebrations. You've probably noticed, though, that over a short period of time, helium-filled latex balloons start to lose their buoyancy. So when you're planning your next party, how soon can you buy the balloons in advance before they start deflating? In this science fair project, you will use a simple scale to measure the lift supplied by a set of balloons, and determine the rate of lift decay.
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If you have ever prepared a cup of coffee or tea with sugar, you have probably seen that the grains of sugar quickly dissolve and completely disappear in hot water. But sugar is not the only type of solid that can readily dissolve in a liquid. In fact, there are some types of rocks that can be dissolved by common liquids. It might be hard to imagine large, hard rocks being eaten away by some ordinary fluids, right? But it actually happens all the time! In this geology science project, you will…
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Geo_p047

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Time Required

Long (2-4 weeks)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

Small limestone rocks are needed to do this science project. See the Materials and Equipment list for details. Note: The listed time required to do this science project includes shipping time.

Have you ever dreamed of a world where you could take the scraps from last night's dinner and toss them into your car's fuel tank and make gas? Well, we're not quite in "Back to the Future" yet, but in this energy science fair project, you'll discover that food scraps, dead plants, sawdust, and other decaying organic matter, called biomass are a rich source of energy. You can get energy out of biomass by burning it, turning it into a liquid, or by turning it into a gas called biogas. You've…
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Energy_p027

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Time Required

Long (2-4 weeks)

Prerequisites

This science fair project requires access to a well-ventilated area, away from open flame or electrical sparks.

Material Availability

A small quantity of fresh cow manure is required.

Cost

Low ($20 - $50)

Safety

This science fair project produces a small amount of a flammable gas, so it must be conducted in a well-ventilated area, away from any source of open flame or source of electrical sparks. Use caution and have an adult's help when using the bleach, as it can cause chemical burns.

Race car drivers need every advantage they can get to give them the competitive edge in a race. In addition to human factors, like driving skill and reaction time, their cars must overcome physical forces, like air resistance, to maintain their high speeds. While this science project will not have you driving around a race track at 200 miles per hour, you will get to test how increased air resistance affects a real car's fuel economy. You will do this by measuring and comparing the gas mileage…
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Aero_p028

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Time Required

Long (2-4 weeks)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

This science project requires an adult volunteer with a driver's license and who is allowed to drive a car. A car that already has a detachable roof rack is recommended, but a detachable roof rack may be purchased to do this science project. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.

Cost

Average ($50 - $100)

Safety

Never try to record data or distract the driver while you are in a moving vehicle. Always collect your data when the car is parked at home.

Have you ever looked up into the sky and seen not a bird, not a plane, but a hot-air balloon? They are definitely amazing and fun to watch! Do you think they are all the same size? Does size affect how long the hot-air balloon can fly? In this science fair project, you will launch hot-air balloons, powered by a toaster, and see how the size of the balloon affects its flight.
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Aero_p041

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Time Required

Short (2-5 days)

Prerequisites

You will need access to a room with a high ceiling, like a gym or an auditorium. Or you can perform the experiment outdoors, if there is no wind.

Material Availability

Readily available.

Cost

Low ($20 - $50)

Safety

Adult supervision is required. Use caution with the hot toaster. A hot toaster is a potential fire hazard.

Comets—big lumps of rock, ice, and frozen gases that orbit the Sun—are among the most amazing
heavenly objects seen in the night sky. The glowing tail behind the comet's nucleus inspires wonder.
But did you know that a comet's tail is evidence that it's melting? As a comet passes by the Sun on
its orbital path, it starts to melt. But do bigger comets melt faster than smaller comets? In this
astronomy science project, you will investigate how the size of the comet affects the…
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3... 2... 1... 0— blastoff! In this science project, you will use a bottle rocket launcher to launch your own bottle rocket. You will load it with water and pressurized air, make several launches, and find out what makes your rocket soar the highest.
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Phys_p096

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Time Required

Average (6-10 days)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

A kit for this project is available from the [# Link Name="Phys_p096.8" Value="HtmlAnchor" #].

Cost

Average ($40 - $80)

Safety

Adult supervision is required at all times. See the safety note at the beginning of the Procedure for details.

Rockets are definitively an engineering challenge. These amazing gravity-defying machines have lifted test material, people, and even animals into space. Feel like building one yourself? In this science project, you will transform a water bottle into an aerodynamic bottle rocket with two compartments, one for the fuel and one for a payload. You will then test how well it performs when lifting mass vertically up into the air. Ready, set, soar!
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Phys_p098

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Time Required

Average (6-10 days)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

A kit for this project is available from the [# Link Name="Phys_p096.8" Value="HtmlAnchor" #].

Cost

Average ($50 - $100)

Safety

Adult supervision is recommended. See the safety note at the beginning of the Procedure.

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